Gotta Fall Before You Fly
by GenericUsername01
Summary: Maximum Ride-style wingtalia AU with the states where, through a spiral of misunderstandings and politics, neither the states nor America know about each other. More in-depth description inside, rating may go up. OC-centric
1. Migration

**A/N:** Alright, so this is a wingtalia AU following the general rules of Maximum Ride for birdkids, except for a few minor changes I made (ex. preening being a thing- it's a social activity, it's necessary, it's the bird equivalent of playing with someone's hair. It could be a major source of fluff if you let it). Anyway, in this AU, the states weren't all found right away, and for reasons to be revealed in later chapters, not even Alfred knows about them. Also all personifications have wings because they aren't human in the first place, so why do they have to look it? I know it sounds like an incomprehensible mishmash, but it's going to all fit together in the end, just give it a chance.

The states' wing colors are based on their state birds, btw. That's why there are duplicates, apparently northern cardinals are really common in this region as a whole. This fic is generally centered on the five states in the old Northwest Territory, but more will definitely appear later. You can very clearly see where I stopped caring halfway through the states' physical descriptions, and for that I apologize.

* * *

Wisconsin yanked back his dark brown-gray wings and dove, hurtling towards the water. He unfurled his wings at the last second, catching the air with a loud _snap_ and coasting the rest of the way.

He folded up his wings, pulling them through the long slits in the back of his shirt to press tightly into the slight indent on his back. It wasn't completely unnoticeable, but hey, it didn't have to be. The only people he ever had any intention of seeing were the other members of his flock, and that's it.

It's not that there weren't any other people like them. He knew there were. There had to be.

But staying with them was a bad choice. Wisconsin had heard the story a thousand times. All states were controlled by their governments. The human politicians were evil, corrupt, even violent. Officials robbed the people blind. Electors sold their votes. Presidents arranged unjust wars when peace was an option. Bipartisanship was so extreme that Indiana's statehouse devolved into a fight that lasted four hours, with Democrats and Republicans threatening to kill each other.

Ohio and Indiana crept out of their respective log cabins one night, taking a sleeping Wisconsin with them. Duty be damned. They were states, they could do what they needed to do without being babysat by greedy politicians who didn't actually care about their wellbeing.

The Mexican-American War left a bad taste in their mouths. They weren't the only ones who had a problem with it. The tensions between North and South were getting stronger every day. If they were ever going to leave, that was the perfect time to do it.

Besides, it's not like anyone would notice they were gone. There were very few people who knew about them, and those who did knew better than to broadcast it. The states had not quite outgrown the colonial era of border "disputes" and grudge wars. The only way one found out about their existence was by meeting them in person. With young states, the governors had an advantage: no one knew how long it would take to find them. That ambiguity would be their safeguard until they were old enough to defend themselves.

But the little states hadn't been idiots. If they existed, then others must too. Indiana and Ohio found each other all on their own, and also discovered little Wisconsin. As far as they knew, the number of people who knew about their disappearance- who knew about _them_ \- could be counted on one hand. They would all think it was just one singular state gone, and would never dare tell anyone else about it.

On the presumption that not all the states have been found or come forward, no one ever talks about them between governments. They are always an internal top secret, their numbers a complete mystery. No one would admit to having found their state- personifications are a weak link and too easy a target. Being the governor who not only exposed them but _lost_ them would ruin their careers. Besides, it may not happen soon, but they would be found again eventually.

That was in 1848.

Not that they gloat about it or anything. But 168 years is pretty impressive.

The sound of leaves and pine needles crunching underfoot began to mix with voices in the distance. Wisconsin rolled his eyes as they became distinct.

"We do _not_ need to take the basketball," Illinois folded her arms.

"What?! Why? We're taking the baseball bat!" Indiana protested.

"That's different! That comes in handy; it's a need," she said. "We need to pack as light as possible. Face it, there is no room in any of our bags for a stupid baske-"

An orange ball whirled and hit her in the nose, making her stumble back a few steps. Indiana smirked, "See, the basketball is useful. It can make you shut up in under a second."

Illinois paused for a second, outraged, before launching herself at Indiana. She swung a fist that connected with his nose- restoring balance to the universe, in her eyes. He kicked at her legs, knocking her down. She used the vantage point to land a kick to his stomach, sending him backwards with an _oof!_ He knocked into Michigan, sending a heavy bag flying from her hands and into Ohio.

By the time Wisconsin approached their tree, the whole flock was in a brawl. He wasn't really surprised. Tensions always ran high this time of year.

"Don't know if you guys care, but I got the food and iodine. We can leave as soon as everything is packed."

The others instantly froze. "Really?" Ohio asked.

He didn't respond.

"Everything we need is already in the bags," Indiana said quietly.

Ohio nodded. "Guess it's time to go then. I'll fly center." For once, there was no debate.

Michigan spared one last look at the tree that had been their home for the past eight months. It was the largest, strongest one on the small island, and now its bright fall colors signalled that it was time to leave.

They never returned to the same place twice. A shame. This home had been truly beautiful.

Five pairs of wings pushed hard against the air. They broke through the treeline and caught a thermal, soaring upwards until they were silhouettes thousands of feet in the air.

* * *

They rapidly put miles between them and Lake Erie. The flight south was always a somber affair. Personifications always felt better in their own land. It was a constant natural high that always hovered in the back of their minds. It was refreshing, joyful. If they couldn't be in their state, then the next best thing was to stay as close to home as possible.

Ohio powered forward silently, straining the muscles in his wings. Flying was always a workout, but whoever flew center had the hardest work, and may as well be flying solo. The rest of the flock rode the slipstream of whoever was ahead of them, staying in a V formation to make things easier.

Still, taking the lead was a coveted position they usually fought over.

As the bird flies, they could reach the Gulf of Mexico in thirteen hours. Hypothetically. If they kept a constant speed and flew continuously. But it wouldn't be reasonable to try to run for thirteen hours straight, and running is a breeze compared to flying. The constant exercise of flying keeps them fit, but they aren't _insane._

"Hey hey hey. Isn't that the Ohio River?" Michigan asked. "This is a good place to break. It's a landmark, and we've been going for... three hours now."

"Three and a half," Illinois corrected.

"Yeah, I'm beat. Let's call it quits for today," Indiana said, kicking his legs up and swooping into a dive. The rest of the flock followed suit, shooting down like feathery bullets of red and brown.

They tumbled onto the forested bank, too exhausted to be graceful. They flopped down in the grass with their wings spread, trying to cool off and catch their breath. After a few minutes, they sat up in a circle and set to work preening.

Wings have to be kept clean somehow. After a long flight especially, feathers will be dirty and in disarray. They can't exactly go to a store and buy bulk feather shampoo, but thankfully birds produce their own preen oil that even makes wings waterproof.

"Ugh. You suck, Illinois. Your wings are too pretty," Michigan said, shaking her head. She was the one sitting behind Illinois in the circle, stroking her wings and smoothing out feathers.

Illinois snorted. "Thanks, I guess."

Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana all had wings whose coloring bore a stark resemblance to a cardinal's. They wings were thirteen feet across and a dazzling red. They had duller auburn areas and a dark edge on the tips. Wisconsin and Michigan had the coloring of robins: an earthy brown-gray with black and white highlights. When it came to shape, however, all their wings were more similar to that of a hawk, allowing them to fly with extreme precision and grace.

Illinois's bright green eyes had bags under them that had been there every day as long as they had known her. She was tall and leanly muscled. She had coffee colored hair chopped short within an inch of its life, though a bit longer on top. She saw no point in trying to keep it long and battle the constant wind while flying.

Indiana had mousy, dirty blond hair, a stick-straight nose, and pale green eyes. He had a generally average body type and a bit of a farmer's tan, along with a dusting of nearly imperceptible freckles.

Ohio was almost startlingly blond, and kept his hair long enough to pull into two cornsilk-colored French braids. He occasionally changed it up and did a different style of braid, but most often it was that. He had a strong jaw and hazel eyes approximately the same shade as the polluted green-brown waters of Lake Erie.

Michigan was short and muscle-bound. Her thick blonde hair was in a pixie cut and bangs that swooped just below her eyebrows. She had lively light blue eyes and callused hands with fingernails cut to the quick.

Wisconsin was a bit taller than average. He had wavy brunette hair that fell just above his shoulders and appeared auburn when it caught the light. He was almost always wearing a plaid shirt and smelled vaguely of cheese.

After they finished preening each other, their moods were all lifted and the states found a sturdy tree to climb up in, hunkering down on a branch to sleep and draping their large wings over themselves as blankets.


	2. The Good, The Bad, And The Nation

**A/N:** I am basing the states' capabilities off of the max of what a non-humanoid bird can do. So flying at roughly 60mph (but 200mph in a dive) (some birds are way faster but I didn't want to give them _too_ many advantages), comfortably 20,000-25,000 ft up. That's why they're going so fast and why no one on the ground is freaking out staring at them. Also, I base states' ages off of when their territory was created, not when they got their statehood. But they would use statehood dates as their birthdays, the way that America's birthday is the fourth of July even though he was already a teenager when the declaration was signed. It's purely symbolic.

I usually give content warnings on a chapter by chapter basis, but overall, expect some language (rarely) and violence. For this chapter specifically, there are three (3) cuss words, and the states get in a minor fight.

Please note that none of my ocs are good people and they all belong in the trash. If your state acts like a jerk, don't be offended as eventually I will write them all as acting like jerks. These are the states we're talking about, they aren't good

And yes, America's wings are based on a bald eagle.

* * *

They got up bright and early the next morning to a breakfast of coffee made in a teapot over a campfire and the last of the preserved meat of a rabbit Indiana shot three days ago.

It truly is a glamorous life.

"You know, if we make good time today like we did yesterday, we'll end up passing right by Knoxville. Maybe we could stop there, see the city. It'd be fun. It's barely even a detour; Knoxville is almost directly in our path," Michigan's voice sped up as she spoke.

She took a big swig of coffee and was answered with silence and shifting glances.

"Mich… We don't go in cities that often for a reason," Ohio finally spoke.

She rolled her eyes. "You're so paranoid. Men in black aren't going to come kidnap us away the second our faces are seen on a traffic cam. They don't even know what we look like anymore, and I doubt anyone is searching all that hard. You're just a scared old man living in the past."

"Okay, first off, _we both look sixteen._ Second off, it's not government goons I'm worried about-"

"It's the Erasers," Illinois finished. She stared at the fire intently, her voice flat and toneless. "The government is not a threat. Even if they did find us, they can't force us to do anything. They can try hard as hell, but there is always a choice. Erasers, though… Those guys are a threat."

The fire's crackling seemed much louder than before.

"Would… would an Eraser go into the city?" Wisconsin asked. "It's just… We've never seen any there. I'm pretty sure they don't want the public to know about them. Or law enforcement."

"That's… actually a good point," Ohio conceded.

"We could use a day in the city," Indiana said.

"So we're doing it?!" Michigan sprang up.

"Unless someone else has a problem with it…"

"Yes!" Wisconsin punched the air, clapping a hand over his mouth when his voice echoed. The states all laughed.

* * *

Spirits were high. Their altitudes were high. For once, the flight south was going well and no one was thinking about being homesick.

Michigan and Wisconsin were babbling nonstop about everything they were planning to do in Knoxville, and their excitement was contagious. Soon the whole flock was caught up in the discussion.

"Is that it?!" Illinois pointed at a town below.

Wisconsin squinted at the map. They didn't usually use a map, instead relying on their own natural sense of direction, but now they were looking for something specific. He had gone into a smaller town and snatched it from a kiosk when no one was looking. "Uhhh, yes! Yeah, that's it!"

"Woohoo!" several of them held their wings back and began to dive.

"Wait! Wait, I read it wrong. Knoxville's still up a ways."

"Less woohoo."

After a little more than three hours of flying, they finally arrived. They landed a little ways outside town. Dropping out of the sky in the middle of the street might cause a bit of a panic. Besides, they always look like a trainwreck after flying.

"Thank God it's sweater weather. I have no clue how we would hide these in the summer," Illinois said, pulling a leather jacket snugly over her wings. They fit under neatly, but tight or open clothing would show them clearly.

"Guys do I look normal?" Ohio asked, a bit frantic.

"You've never looked normal a day in your life, Ohio. Have you _seen_ your face?" Michigan said.

"Can you guys please tell Michigan that I was not talking to her, and that I have literally never been talking to her in my life?"

She mouthed his words back mockingly.

"Your wings are hidden. You're good," Wisconsin said appraisingly.

"Thank you, Wisconsin," he said, staring pointedly at the Mitten State, who rolled her eyes.

"Alright. You guys ready to go?" Indiana asked.

* * *

Cities are a very strange and foreign place. The old northwest states had been in them before, of course. Briefly, to get iodine, coffee grounds, and on the rare occasion they could afford it, canned food. Being homeless and living in a tree doesn't pay very good.

Everything was glass and concrete. There was a neverending supply of people coming from all directions. Skyscrapers lived up to their name and looked like they were about to tip over, they were so tall. The states couldn't help thinking how fun it would be to spread their wings and weave all around them.

They decided to do every cliche, touristy thing they could think of. They never did things like this, so it was go big or go home.

They went to a solid four museums. Learned some stuff about other cultures, art, the other states.

They went to the top of the Sunsphere and didn't really see what the big deal was. But then, humans aren't up high that often, and most places cater to humans.

Indiana found a twenty on the ground and they were overjoyed, planning on spending it at a real, fancy restaurant. When that turned out to bit just a bit more expensive than they had hoped, they got fast food instead.

A concert was being put on in the town square after sundown. They were playing mostly bluegrass music, which the states weren't really familiar with, but they were able to recognize the occasional country song. Wisconsin and Indiana would sing along to the whole song, while the others only knew the choruses. Both groups teased each other equally over it.

"This is fun," Ohio said over the noise. Indiana nodded. "We should go into cities more often."

"Illi-," a man with light brown hair and glasses gasped, staring at them with wide blue eyes. Or more specifically, staring at Illinois. _"Bex?!"_

"Shit," she hissed, turning around instantly and picking her way back through the crowd.

"Illinois? What's going on? Who is that? How does he know who you are?"

She didn't respond, forcing the flock to follow her. The guy was following too, determination etched on his face.

Once they broke free from the crowd, she started sprinting, and the others ran to keep up.

"Bex! Bex wait up! _Rebecca!"_

"You gonna explain any of this, _Bex_ , or are we gonna die wondering?" Wisconsin snapped.

She shook her head and kept running.

"Where are we going? Do you have a plan? Because that guy is _fast_ ," Ohio cast a glance over his shoulder.

"We're going somewhere he can't follow," she said tersely.

She refused to speak again until they got there, saving her breath and energy. When they reached the base of the Sunsphere, understanding dawned. They cursed the lack of stairs and pushed past people, shoving them out of the way to reach the elevator and getting yelled at.

"There are two elevators. He'll get up there right after we do," Michigan said.

The ride up was eternal but not long enough. They could practically feel the other people in the elevator judging them.

The minute the doors opened, they burst out and rushed to the railing. Michigan leapt onto it and used it to launch herself through a glass pane of the dome. She plummeted through the hole, eliciting screams, then snapped her wings out and soared upwards, eliciting more screams.

Three more birdkids repeated the procedure, trying to keep their faces as hidden as possible from all the phones that were now out. Illinois hesitated, the last to go.

The elevator dinged. She turned, giving Alfred a wry, bittersweet smile. And took a step forward.

The flock circled upwards lazily. It was night, the observation deck was at the wrong angle, they were far enough up from the ground. They were sufficiently hidden from prying eyes and cameras.

A missile shot into the night out the Sunsphere, rocketing towards them. It only took seconds to reach their altitude. He spread his wings to halt, unfurling fifteen feet of black silhouetted feathers.

All five states audibly gasped. Fight or flight kicked in, and Illinois was already nudging the group away. But Michigan froze, flapping in place, unmoving.

Alfred drifted forward slowly, hands up and palms out in a show of peace. "I just want to talk. If y'all would just let me explain-"

"Mich, get back here!"

"No. I'm gonna hear what he has to say," she didn't even look back at them.

"Michigan!"

She flew farther away from them over to his side. "You guys coming or what?"

The looked amongst themselves. "Should we…?" Indiana asked.

"Just because Michigan made a bad decision doesn't mean we all have to," Illinois said, looking to Ohio for support. He usually disagreed with Michigan on principal alone.

"Well… regular humans don't have wings. States have wings," he said.

"We've never met a state outside the flock. We need to at least talk to him," Wisconsin said.

"I disagree. We should walk away now and forget this ever happened. That guy is shady and I don't trust him. For pete's sake, he chased us all through the city!" Illinois said.

Indiana peered at her skeptically. "Because you started running when you saw him."

"How can you say that? If we never gave new states a chance, you and Michigan wouldn't even be here now," Wisconsin said. "You know, I don't care. I agree with Michigan. I'll see you guys later."

His wings pushed a gust of wind in their faces as he left. Illinois looked about imploringly, "Guys..."

Indiana laughed. "Later, hypocrite."

Ohio waited until they were out of earshot to speak. "From what it sounds like, you two have a history that would have been beneficial for us to know about. There will be plenty of time to make enemies later. For now, I suggest going with the flow."

* * *

The states pretty much do whatever they want. They have no rules. They have no clear leader. They vote on all major decisions, which doesn't really accomplish much. Even fundamentally, there are very few things they agree on.

But they could agree on one rule: never ever ever ever _ever_ ask Illinois about the past.

The rule didn't seem so unitarily good anymore.

Against all common sense, the states allowed Alfred to lead them to his hotel room. Sure, he seemed to be one of them, but he was a stranger and an adult and looks can be deceiving. Technically, if the worst happened, they outnumbered him. But for all intents and purposes, his wings had appeared to be solid walls of muscle much longer and broader than any of their own, and they were fairly convinced he could grind their bones into dust if he wanted to.

Though he didn't look half as intimidating now that he wasn't pulling any angel-of-death moves and they weren't running through the dark like their lives depended on it. He didn't even look that much older than them. He was beaming a lot, but half the time he didn't seem to know what to do or say and kept on rambling about things that don't matter.

He sat the states down in his hotel suite and insisted on making them all iced tea. You definitely aren't supposed to drink things strangers prepare for you, but he had already lured them to a location of his choosing. At this point, if they were gonna get murdered, then they were gonna get murdered and that's just that.

The states all huddled on one couch, refusing to separate. Alfred pulled a chair up to the coffee table across from them. He drummed his fingers together anxiously, then switched to bouncing his leg up and down.

"So I'm guessing _you_ are Tennessee, right?" he nodded toward Indiana.

Illinois snorted, and Alfred blushed slightly. "Guess not. Uh… Oh! Speaking of which, my name is Alfred F. Jones and I am the personification of the United States of America!"

" _What?!"_

"Did you not figure that out?" he asked somewhat incredulously. "I mean, from everything Illinois must have told you about me, I figured that you would have put two and two together by now."

"Illinois has never told us anything about you, ever. We didn't even know there _was_ a personification for the U.S.," Indiana said.

"Seriously?"

Illinois shrugged. "It's not anything against you. There are a lot of things I don't mention."

"Understatement of the year," Wisconsin muttered.

"So what _do_ you know?" America asked.

Silence. They weren't sure how much they should really give away. Sure, this guy said he was the nation, but...

Illinois sighed. "They know there are states. They know _they_ are states. Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin used to be involved with their governments and were kept secret for security purposes. They picked me and Michigan up along the way. We've been bouncing around between the Great Lakes ever since the '50s. That's why we're down here. We head south whenever home gets too cold to live outdoors."

"Whatever happened to you not trusting this guy? Now you're just telling him everything?" Ohio asked.

"You told them I was untrustworthy?" Alfred asked, resembling a kicked puppy.

"It was a little white- I didn't mean- I just didn't think I'd ever see you again," she mumbled, slouching down into the couch. "I'm sorry. You guys can trust him. You should. He really is America, and he doesn't mean any harm."

"Alright," Ohio said, shooting her a glance that said _you better not be wrong_. "I am Ohio. You can call me Charlie."

America's whole face lit up. He gave Ohio an enthusiastic, death-grip handshake. "Nice to meet ya, Charlie."

"I'm Eli. Wisconsin," he said, awestruck. There was a nation. He was actually meeting their nation. How awesome was that?!

"I'm, uh, not Tennessee. I mean, um, I'm, you know, Indiana," he rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh! Lawrence. Forgot to say that. My name is Lawrence."

"I'm Michigan!" she said, taking his hand before he had a chance to take hers. "People call me Lucy."

"Quite a grip you got there," Alfred said approvingly.

"Could say the same to you," she smirked.

"My states are tough as nails," he said mostly to himself, taking them all in. "You've been living in the woods all this time? Together? Do you know where the other states are?"

"You don't?" Ohio leaned forward.

He shook his head. "Not a clue. Once Illinois showed up, people scoured everywhere looking for the others. There wasn't a single trace. The only thing the investigation confirmed was that record-keeping in the past really sucked."

"I was the first state he met," Illinois grinned. "I was sorta scared about coming forward, so I waited until things calmed down- er, at least relatively. It was in 1878. Alfred and the president were talking in the White House gardens- I had no clue who Alfie was, I thought he was just some guy-"

"Bex comes flying in and lands right in front of us. She puts her hands on her hips and says 'I'm Illinois.-"

"'Nice to meet you, Mr. President'," they finished together, laughing through their words.

"Why did you never tell us any of this? We should have been informed," Indiana asked. He was suspicious of everything about this. Illinois had to be hiding something. This is not the sort of thing that you just forget to mention.

Illinois faltered. "You know I don't like talking about the past."

"It's one thing to put something behind you; it's another to hide vital information from your flock," he said.

"When I first came into the flock, I tried to tell you guys, I really did. You told me to stop and that I didn't need to explain anything. Those were your exact words, Wisconsin, your exact words," she insisted.

"We went hunting and you had a panic attack after the first gunshot. You looked like you were killing yourself trying to choke out words to justify it. I meant you never had to talk about that part of the past, not the fact that we have a nation and everything we thought we knew about the other states was completely wrong!"

"You mean everything _they_ thought they knew," Michigan said. "Illinois had the chance to fix this mess and didn't, but Ohio and Indiana started it in the first place. They presented all this stuff as if it were fact when they had no clue what they were talking about. You've had us basing everything we knew about personifications off of assumptions you made when you were, what, six?"

"Indy was six, I was seven," Ohio corrected. "We were just doing what we thought was best. And you _chose_ to join this flock! You were completely alone before! You would still be a scared, lost hermit without us."

"No, you know where I would be without you? _I would be doing whatever all the other states are doing._ I would have figured it out on my own by now, if it weren't for all this unnecessary hiding! And the only reason I joined the flock in the first place is because you two had me convinced that the only other option was to be kept under lock and key and used as a pawn by evil politicians! You dragged us all down with you into this _pit_ of fear and wrong ideas!"

"How come Wisconsin isn't getting any flack for this? It wasn't just me and Charlie," Indiana protested.

Wisconsin laughed incredulously. "Because I was a freakin' baby when we ran away. My territory had only been formed twelve years ago! I couldn't even talk yet, I certainly wasn't involved in the decision. I was practically kidnapped," he paused. "I _was_ kidnapped."

"Okay whoa, that's a very serious accusation to make," Ohio said. "We were trying to do the right thing. We were rescuing you!"

"Rescuing me?! From what? A good life? A sense of security? A community to belong in?"

"It wasn't always like that and you know it-"

"All hail our lords and saviors Ohio and Indiana, who took us in out of the kindness of their hearts and prevented us from leading normal lives or- God forbid- meeting another personification. Who knows what kind of fiends those other states are? They might even be-," Michigan looked around dramatically, lowering her voice to a whisper, "Just. Like. Us. The horror! The scandal!"

"Why don't you shut up a-"

"And God knows we needed to be protected from this villainous nation right here, or who knows what might have happened?! He has not stopped smiling since he met us. He made us iced tea. What sort of sicko," Michigan shook her head.

"I really don't want to be involved in this-," America said.

Illinois snorted. "You certainly never have been."

The others didn't understand the comment, but America flinched at it. After everything that had happened today, it was enough to make Michigan's blood boil. She bolted up and punched Illinois in the jaw.

Illinois sprung away to a more defendable position, wiping blood from her split lip. "You crazy _psycho!_ What is _wrong_ with you?!"

Michigan's eyes burned with fire and she lunged forward, shrieking. Wisconsin and Ohio held her back, barely. America leapt between them, acting as a physical shield for Illinois. Both states were pulled away to opposite ends of the room.

"You okay?" Alfred asked, tilting his head. "Looks like your lip is already healing up."

"I'm fine," she bit out without looking at him. "I need to stop being an idiot and accept when my presence is unwanted. Besides, whatever plan these guys come up with next, it won't be one I want to be a part of. It was all fine and good when we were just flying together, but I don't want to 'become involved as a state' again. I've already turned that down once before."

"Illinois, don't do this, now's your chance to-"

"See, that's the thing! I don't want to be 'Illinois.' I want to be Bex. _Just_ Bex. I want to be a person and have choices and live the life I choose. I was born a state, but that doesn't have to be the end-all, be-all definition of who I am."

The other states had quieted across the room once they heard what she was saying. "You can't just 'quit' being a personification," Ohio said.

"You all did. For centuries. I am not the only hypocrite in the room," she said, hand on the doorknob. "Nobody better follow me."

And the flock was down to four.

"I can't believe she just did that," Wisconsin said.

"I can see her point," Michigan said.

"How," Ohio said dryly, already narrowing his eyes.

Michigan shrugged. "The flock was doing something she didn't support, so she left. She didn't want to get mixed up with governments or the nation or anything like that again, so she stood up for herself and made it happen. Kinda like how I don't want to be associated with known kidnappers."

"Do you wanna fight me or what, Lucy?"

"I always wanna fight you."

"Oh my God," America said suddenly. "I totally forgot to get the mail earlier. I've gotta go do that right now. Don't worry, I'll be back soon." He all but ran out the door.

"We. Didn't. Kidnap. Anyone," Ohio said.

"That's exactly what a kidnapper would say," Michigan said. "Just look at the guilt written all over their faces, Eli."

"I mean, I'm pretty sure that's anger, but okay, sure."

"We have literally never done anything wrong. We were rescuing you. Things weren't always good for states. We were never allowed to go anywhere or meet anyone 'for our own good.' Lawrence and I had to sneak out just to find _each other_ , forget about meeting anyone else. Illinois gave it all up for a reason. Actually, we're lucky we left when we did, before everything got so much worse after that."

" _Lucky?!_ As if we're supposed to be thankful you brainwashed us?!"

"Brainwashed! Are you kidd-"

"Hey," Wisconsin cut in. "I don't know about Michigan, but I'd be willing to forget all this and put it behind us if you two would just admit you were wrong and apologize."

Indiana folded his arms. "No."

"No?"

"No. I won't apologize for that. We were genuinely looking out for everybody's best interests."

"It wouldn't be the right decision now, but it was the right decision _then_ , and that is all that matters," Ohio said.

"Alright then," Wisconsin said. "I guess the decision is final. We're splitting up."

The anger in the atmosphere fizzled out, replaced with bittersweet nostalgia. Just yesterday everything had been normal. Just hours ago they had been having fun together.

Indiana opened the doors to the balcony and stood on the railing, prepared to take off.

"Wait. Lucy, before I go, there's one last thing I want to say to you," Ohio said.

"What is it, Charlie?"

He took a deep breath. "I told you _so!_ The government was looking for us! I was right, and you were wrong, so ha! I'll be so glad when you're out of my life for good and I never have to see you again! Goodbye forever, you two-faced loser!"

"I hope you die in a pit, Charlie! I never want to see your ugly mug again! Why don't you go to hell, you must be getting pretty homesick for there by now!"

"I would tell the devil you said hi, but she's standing right in front of me!"

They both flipped each other the bird, and Ohio and Indiana disappeared off the balcony in a flurry of red feathers.


End file.
